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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29443884">convalescence</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/skittykitty/pseuds/skittykitty'>skittykitty</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Video Blogging RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>5+1 Things, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Injury, Broken Bones, Exiled TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Gen, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Platonic Relationships, TommyInnit Needs a Hug (Video Blogging RPF), TommyInnit Whump (Video Blogging RPF), Traumatized TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Unhealthy Relationships, fic but it has a lot of angst, for Wilbur and tommy, inherently this is a</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 17:49:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,224</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29443884</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/skittykitty/pseuds/skittykitty</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Five times Tommy got hurt during his adventures and didn’t get help, and the one time someone asked <i>Are you okay?</i></p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Toby Smith | Tubbo &amp; TommyInnit, Wilbur Soot &amp; TommyInnit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>348</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Chossi's fic reccomendations for the soul, Completed stories I've read, best smp stories</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>convalescence</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Thank you <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cultivation/pseuds/Cultivation">Cultivation</a> for betaing this!!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h1>
  <span>One</span>
</h1>
<p>
  <span>It happened in an instant. One second Dream held the flint and steel above the TNT. This bitch was threatening everything they— Wilbur, Tubbo, and Eret— had built. Everything they loved.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>One TNT couldn’t destroy that— couldn’t destroy their bonds, their </span>
  <em>
    <span>friendships.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy smiled wide as Wilbur denied them. </span>
  <em>
    <span>No, we don’t give in. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He cheered, stepping close to his leader. In his moment of distraction, Dream and his allies began stepping away from the bomb.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t care about the TNT— didn’t care about anything but </span>
  <em>
    <span>Wilbur. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Wilbur who looked so strong— looked like the leader Tommy wanted to </span>
  <em>
    <span>become.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tommy, get down!” Eret slammed into him, the two of them rolling away from the TNT. The explosion shook the ground, grass blowing into the air. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a static to the air... a faint ringing. Oh, </span>
  <em>
    <span>shiiit… </span>
  </em>
  <span>he looked around L’Manberg; there was a large hole by the door. That could be fixed… but the dozens of lit TNT under their feet couldn’t be.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Run!” He could hear Wilbur screaming. Blue eyes stared in shock at Eret, still holding onto the other as they both recovered from the impact. Eret’s glasses were broken on one side, revealing terrified white eyes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The two of them lurched into the air as one, both running to the lake— to where Wilbur and Tubbo were already nearing. The world blurred as he ran— colors blending as he stared at Wilbur’s back. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Please, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he begged the universe. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Let him live. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The second wave of explosions ripped the two of them off of their feet. In a quick movement, Eret grabbed his wrist. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy’s head whipped forward at the movement. For a moment, he could see Wilbur below him— see Tubbo staring up at him horror in his best friend’s eyes. Eret’s grip remained strong as they flew.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tommy!” Someone screamed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>By some miracle, they landed in the water. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>God, my head hurts like a bitch, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he thought. Eret’s hand was strong around his wrist, even as he slipped deeper into the water. In the darkness, it was almost peaceful. Painless— like listening to Mellohi with Tubbo.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Beautiful... like the whisper of </span>
  <em>
    <span>this is my camarvan. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He sighed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>At least everyone else was okay.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The hand around his wrist pulled— pulling him back to reality. Back to </span>
  <em>
    <span>Wilbur</span>
  </em>
  <span>— back to the fact that Dream had </span>
  <em>
    <span>blown up L’Manberg.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The world was still a blur as Eret held him above the water. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You okay..?” Ugh, and that </span>
  <em>
    <span>stupid </span>
  </em>
  <span>ringing was back. Blue eyes squinted at Eret’s hazy figure. He stared at Tommy for a moment, furrowing his eyebrows as a frown settled on his face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The two of them looked away, watching the carnage on their home unfold. After the final explosion, Wilbur smiled. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Come on, guys, let’s start rebuilding!” Eret’s arms clenched to a painful degree around his middle. Tommy almost said </span>
  <em>
    <span>that hurts, please stop— </span>
  </em>
  <span>but… that had never stopped anyone before. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He took the momentary pain before Eret noticed and hastily apologized.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His head hurt, his ears were still ringing, and he could barely stand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy smiled. “I’m fine! Go help rebuild!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eret left him, fists clenching as he caught up with the others. He rested his forehead on his palm. </span>
  <em>
    <span>God, it hurt.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He took a few seconds to compose himself before trying to stand. His legs shook but, with his classic determination, he managed it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, guys!” Tommy called out, ignoring all the signs that something was wrong. “How can I help?”</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<h1>
  <span>Two</span>
</h1>
<p>
  <span>Why had he let himself relax? Let himself believe everything would be </span>
  <em>
    <span>fine— </span>
  </em>
  <span>that everyone he loved would be able to live in peace again?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The call of banishment reignited those old instincts. What </span>
  <em>
    <span>it was never meant to be </span>
  </em>
  <span>awoke in him. The restless feeling— the absolute </span>
  <em>
    <span>terror— </span>
  </em>
  <span>in tiny spaces.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His fear of being </span>
  <em>
    <span>alone.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p><span>Before he could process it, Wilbur had grabbed his wrist, and they were running. People were screaming,— his friends, </span><em><span>Tubbo</span></em><span>.</span> <span>Between the screams was the sound of arrows flying. People were </span><em><span>shooting at them—</span></em></p>
<p>
  <span>An arrow pierced his shoulder, digging deep into his skin. He let out a curse as he was pulled along by Wilbur. They were in their presidents’ outfits— definitely not fit for all this running.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once they could no longer see the stage, Wilbur shoved him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Get out of here, Tommy! We’ll meet up somewhere else!” Wilbur screamed, already running the other way.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For a moment, he was alone. His mentor had abandoned him— </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But… no. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They would meet up later.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>They would.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Blood dripped down his shoulder. The arrow continued to be a pain, even hours after he had been shot.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t want to remove it— not alone, without any medical supplies. So... it stayed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>But it hurt, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tommy complained, holding his arm close to his chest. Wilbur, after </span>
  <em>
    <span>hours, </span>
  </em>
  <span>had finally sent him a location to meet. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wilbur?” His leader looked towards him, a blank glaze over his face. There was an arrow in his leg and cuts all over his arms and face. “Are you okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For a few seconds, Wilbur stared at him, something dark in his eyes. “I’m fine, Tommy.” But, he </span>
  <em>
    <span>wasn’t— </span>
  </em>
  <span>“Let’s… make a new house.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy stared after him, a whisper of </span>
  <em>
    <span>let me help you </span>
  </em>
  <span>stuck in his throat. Later— he’d ask to help Wilbur later.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>When they settled into their new home— </span>
  <em>
    <span>a hole in a mountain— </span>
  </em>
  <span>he finally asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Can I… can I help you with the… arrows?” Wilbur stared at him, something like hate in his eyes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course,” he muttered, turning his leg to Tommy. The sight of the wound sure was… </span>
  <em>
    <span>something. </span>
  </em>
  <span>There was dried blood over his leg. Softly, he nudged the arrowhead, listening to Wilbur gasp at the pain.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>It can’t be that bad, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he barely refrained from muttering. His own pain must have been less than Wilbur’s. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a quick jerk, he tugged the arrow out. He tried his best to ignore the fresh spurt of blood, to ignore Wilbur’s pain. With the arrowhead, he began to tear apart his sleeve, making a long strip of fabric for Wilbur.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once he finished,— wrapping it as tightly as he could— blue eyes stared up at Wilbur. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Do I ask him? </span>
  </em>
  <span>raging against </span>
  <em>
    <span>no, you don’t deserve help. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wilbur?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The other sighed. “Yes, Tommy?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He rhythmically clenched his fist over his chest. “Can you help me remove mine?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For a moment, Wilbur stared at the arrow. For a </span>
  <em>
    <span>second, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tommy saw the old, compassionate Wilbur.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For a second, Tommy smiled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m tired, Tommy. Maybe in the morning.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy smiled. “Okay, big man.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(Later that night, he would take it out himself.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(Later that week, it would get infected.)</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<h1>
  <span>Three</span>
</h1>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Techno had betrayed them. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Techno had… had </span>
  <em>
    <span>murdered </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tubbo. Had taken one of his best friend’s lives— and, for that, he had to </span>
  <em>
    <span>pay.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With Wilbur standing next to Tubbo,— burns fresh on his best friend’s face— whispering in his ear, Tommy almost couldn’t take it. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He’s my best friend, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he wanted to scream. </span>
  <em>
    <span>And you let him get hurt.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Get away from him.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t you want to see them fight, Tubbo?” Wilbur whispered, dark eyes staring into blue eyes. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Don’t you want to do something you’ll regret? </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He had been around Wilbur for so long… most of what he did recently hadn’t phased him. It was almost normal, watching Wilbur bend everyone into a caricature of themselves.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But watching Tubbo make the decision to say </span>
  <em>
    <span>I would like to see them fight… </span>
  </em>
  <span>that hurt more than anything. His best friend, </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span> Tubbo</span>
  <em>
    <span>, </span>
  </em>
  <span>changing just like everyone else he ever loved.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll make you guys a pit! Give me a moment.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wilbur disappeared for some time, leaving the three of them alone. Tubbo, with burns across his neck and face. Techno, with blood over his armor, and Tommy… with nothing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, Tubbo,” he muttered, looking away from Tubbo’s murderer. “Let me help you patch up those wounds?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tubbo smiled, nodding. The two of them sat in silence, whispers of old times hanging between them. A bench, a nice song. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Everything they would ever need.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(Everything Dream wanted to take from him.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Aaaand it’s done!” Wilbur called out. “Guys! We’re all set!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Techno walked into the pit first, laying his weapons and armor on the ground beside Wilbur. Even underneath the armor, bits of blood had dried against his clothes. There was a spatter against his cheek... what was likely Tubbo’s blood. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a sigh, Techno stood opposite of him, dull red eyes staring into him. Dull in the same way Wilbur’s were— dull from being betrayed by everyone he loved. Ever since Eret’s betrayal, he had been slipping farther and farther away from Tommy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This isn’t about Wilbur anymore, Techno.” He stared at Tubbo. “It’s about much more than that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wilbur laughed, something broken in his tone. “Let’s begin!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Techno moved before he could even react, throwing a punch at his face. The crack reverberated through the pit, Tubbo’s gasp barely reaching him through the sudden pain. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Blood dripped from his nose as he stared at Techno in shock. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What the fuck? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tears gathered in his eyes from the pain.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What the f—” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Before he could finish talking, Techno sent two fingers in a jab for his throat, cutting him off. Tommy wrapped his palms around his throat, desperately gasping for air. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Staring at the pink blob, he saw Techno hesitate. Heard him whisper </span>
  <em>
    <span>maybe I’ve done enough, </span>
  </em>
  <span>before shaking his head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The final blow came mere moments later, with a punch to his side. He bent over, his arms crowding around his stomach to try and ease the burning pain. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy gasped, unable to breathe with blood all over his face. Techno lifted his leg, kicking him onto the ground.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Techno wins!” Wilbur screamed with glee.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His enemy reached down, picking him back onto his feet. “It’ll be fine,” he whispered. “You’ll be able to breathe in a few moments, and the pain will be over soon, too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Techno patted him on the back before walking away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Later, Tubbo would help him clean his broken nose.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Later, he would find out his nose would stay crooked for the rest of his life.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For now, he stood in the worst pain he had ever been in. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For now, he watched Techno walk towards Tubbo, Wilbur, and Niki with a smile on his face.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<h1>
  <span>Four</span>
</h1>
<p>
  <span>The wind lazily blew through the trees. It was a nice start to another day in his exile— another day of no one to care for him. Wilbur was dead,— Ghostbur had stopped showing up in the last few days— and Tubbo had exiled him. The only real chance he had of human interaction was Dream.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dream— his friend, his enemy, or... something in between?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A friend— a friend was Tubbo </span>
  <em>
    <span>(who had exiled him),</span>
  </em>
  <span> or maybe… Ranboo. Ranboo who had stood beside him with a smile, happily helping him burn down George’s house.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I don’t remember.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Maybe, friends were meant to leave you behind— to let you shoulder all the guilt.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe, Tommy wasn’t made for friendships.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With shaky legs, he began to step across the forest’s undergrowth. It was hard to survive alone without armor or weapons. Sometimes, it was almost too easy to make a wooden sword to defend himself at night. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But, Dream had taught him not to— of course he had. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dream was the only one to check up on him nowadays; why would he disappoint him by breaking the one rule he had?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>No… he wouldn’t.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Walking through the forest didn’t break any rules, though, so Tommy allowed himself that. Allowed himself a fresh breath of air, a gust of wind in his hair.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Allowed himself to </span>
  <em>
    <span>smile.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>To </span>
  <em>
    <span>laugh.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eventually, it would be night. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eventually, he would have to hide from danger.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But </span>
  <em>
    <span>not yet.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy grinned at the prospect, skipping through the forest. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was a beautiful day, and he was an exiled teenager.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>What could go wrong?</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>By sunset, he found a place to stay for the night. A ruined portal with small pools of lava. There was a chest, likely full of helpful loot. Anyone else would love it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy ignored it, preparing for the night ahead of him. It was almost complete. If he had a few pieces of obsidian, maybe he could— </span>
  <em>
    <span>no. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tubbo didn’t want to see him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>No one wanted him around.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(At least he knew that now.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For a moment, he nodded off, his exhaustion catching up to him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy woke up to an arrow embedding itself in the obsidian beside his ear. Gasping, he drew back to stare at the skeleton. It stood at the edge of the lava, unable to cross.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Blue eyes stared death in the face, a decision made. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He threw himself across the lava, tackling the monster to the ground. Bones dug into his arms— thin from his exile— as he wrestled the bow away from it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As it struggled to reach behind it for arrows, he managed to throw the bow into lava. With a cry of victory, he began to maneuver the monster to the lava. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With one of the skeleton’s arms in the lava,— halfway to the rest of the body— the monster reached for its arrows. Flinching back, Tommy barely managed to dodge the blow. The arrowhead left a small wound over his cheeks, crossing over his crooked nose.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As a result of lurching backward, his foot began to slip. In a matter of seconds, he felt a burning sensation through his foot.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, shit.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He tore it out, not really processing what had happened. With a harsh shove, he sent the rest of the skeleton into the magma. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His hands shook as he ignored the burning pain. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Shit, shit— fuck! </span>
  </em>
  <span>This was terrible. He didn’t have anything to help… and no one would ever help him. Tommy inched over the lava, back to his perch on the ruined portal.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His hands shook as he held up his foot. Burns coated it, the skin a dark black. Tears burned in his eyes, the pain spreading through his whole body.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For the rest of the night, he sat there cradling his injury.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy cried out, desperately hoping for his best friend to show up. For </span>
  <em>
    <span>someone to help.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But, no one came.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<h1>
  <span>Five</span>
</h1>
<p>
  <span>After everything, he was finally back home. Back with Tubbo. He was </span>
  <em>
    <span>happy— </span>
  </em>
  <span>he was allowed to smile again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Of course, he wasn’t allowed that. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t deserve to be happy. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(But, Tubbo deserved to— and… he had always said they were best friends. And best friends stuck together. Best friends were required to be happy.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You thought I would </span>
  <em>
    <span>wait?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>No— no one had ever been fair. Maybe the memory of a turtle helmet, of hiding from Dream, of the Axe of Peace had blinded him from Techno’s capability for </span>
  <em>
    <span>evil.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That Techno… his friend… had teamed up with Dream.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dream who was dropping TNT all over Wilbur’s unfinished symphony.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Over Wilbur’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>legacy.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Stop!” He cried out, standing on one of the only remaining parts of land. “Techno! This is more than just— just land! This is about people! The government are people—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“I’m a person, Tommy!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Techno screamed, despair in his eyes as he stared at his palms. “You never saw that. You saw The Blade… well— I’m more than that now, aren’t I?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He waved his hands towards the wreckage of L’Manberg as it slowly expanded deeper and deeper.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Techno bowed, staring up at Tommy with something like hate in his eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy’s nose ached. His throat caught, feeling Phil spawning another Wither. Turning around, he saw one of the heads shoot at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was nowhere to go. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The skull hit his leg, forcing him down onto his bad foot. The burn hadn’t healed well, even when Dream had tried to help. Now, as the Wither effect began to eat at his other leg— would he even be able to walk after this?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Watching everyone else be eaten by the Withers, watching Tubbo’s shoulder turn dark black, it was somehow more </span>
  <em>
    <span>real </span>
  </em>
  <span>than anything else he had been through.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tears began to drip down his face as he curled around his leg. He refused to let Techno see him cry, even if he had probably already left. Left to hurt more people, but… Tommy couldn’t have stopped him if he’d tried.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Defeat in his eyes, he watched as L’Manberg was erased from history. Tommy sighed, finally giving up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His eyes closed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A crack of lightning in the clouds.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His scream echoed through his home. His best friend turned, only to see him fall from his ledge, deadly still. As Tommy fell, Tubbo began running— running to catch him, running to save his best friend.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Of course, no one would be able to catch him in time. Not from that distance.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The crack of Tommy hitting the ground would haunt him for the rest of his life. Even while watching Tommy lay far too still, Tubbo refused to stop running. He had to be there for him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tommy?” He held up the other’s head, ignoring the blood pooling in his palm. Dull blue eyes stared at him, barely conscious.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His leg had a hole in it, alongside the numerous holes from the battle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tubbo?” Tommy smiled. “Thank you…” he muttered. “Thank you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tubbo held his best friend as he drifted off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>(Tommy held his best friend as he died in his arms, fireworks echoing in his ears.)</span>
  </em>
</p>
<hr/>
<h1>
  <span>Plus One</span>
</h1>
<p>
  <span>Tubbo sat beside his best friend. It had been days since everything— since Dream had been locked up in his own jail. Since they got to be kids again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tommy?” Blue eyes stared into his own as a soft smile eased onto Tommy’s face. “Do you remember when you got struck with lightning?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh!” He looked away from him, trying to distance himself. Tubbo grabbed his hand, reminding him </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m still here. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“Oh… yeah, I do.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I wanted to ask… so, you were struck with lightning.” He nodded. “Have you felt anything… odd after that?” Tommy stared at his hand, unconsciously flexing it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He stayed silent, waiting for Tommy to come to him. And if he never did? If he never said what Dream had done during his exile— if he never explained how he came to stand side-by-side with Technoblade?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That was fine.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I— it takes a lot to move my hand,” he admitted. “Just this one, though.” Tommy held out his right hand. “And… my foot hurt really bad after the lightning.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He smiled, rubbing the back of Tommy’s hand. “Hey, it’s okay.” Tommy smiled back, a dim replica of his old smile— of his smile before all of this. But, it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>progress. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“We can help!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Can I take off your shoe to look at your foot?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy nodded, refusing to look as he removed it. Tubbo could see why. It had reopened in the battle, with infection easily settling in. The skin around the burn— which took up the entirety of his </span>
  <em>
    <span>foot— </span>
  </em>
  <span>was feverishly red. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay,” he murmured. “I’m going to go get some bandages and get Sam to help!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tommy smiled as he left.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was nice to care for his friend, after everything.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>(It was nice to be cared for, after everything.)</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This fic was such a throwback!! I really loved writing it!! I hope you guys liked reading it!! You can find me on my <a href="https://skitter-kitteruwu.tumblr.com/">tumblr</a>  where you can pester me to finish half-thought out ideas and scream to me about fics!!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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